an outpouring

Our first groups returned on thursday and friday from their trips. I was pleased to pick them each up and have reunions with both the trip leaders and the folks who joined us on this wilderness journey. Two of the groups were from 8th Street Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana. They were full of enthusiastic youth mostly ready to encounter mystery, beauty and challenge and some residing in the place of unknowing and a bit of anxiety. They returned from their trip with mountains of stories. One of the groups actually felt like they portaged up a mountain. (they had a rather steep and long portage their first day)
To end their time here with us we had a celebration dinner together and then walked up to the cathedral in the woods. Imagine red and white pines towering overhead and 20 people of all ages and personalities sitting in a circle under the pine canopy. I led them in a few readings: i thank you God for most this amazing day by e.e. cummings and a quote from The Color Purple by Alice Walker, "Listen, God love everything you love - and a mess of stuff you don't. But more than anything else, God love admiration... I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."
Before we started the next portion of our closing, we all gathered an object from the forest floor. After returning to the circle we moved into a time of sharing the moments during our week that we would most remember or that we were most grateful for. As each person shared their story they took their object and attached it to a piece of birch bark with whatever color thread they wanted. What we ended up with was a visual prayer: a conglomeration of beautiful and natural objects wrapped in sacred stories and celebration. Amen.